Sex assault survivors to send $7-million "bill" to Wynne, Trudeau

Mandi Gray has a multi-million dollar "bill" with the names of the premier of Ontario and the Prime Minister on it.

Gray, a survivor of sexual assault, aims to highlight not only the emotional toll, but the financial toll being assaulted can take.

The PhD student asked fellow survivors to share with her the costs associated with their abuse: extra tuition, legal fees, medication and therapy. Gray heard from 180 survivors whose bills totalled more than $7-million. She plans to send the invoice to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The court awarded Gray $8,000 to cover legal fees when Mustafa Ururyar, another PhD student with whom she had a casual relationship was convicted of her assault last July.

Ururyar was inside a University Ave courtroom Tuesday as his lawyer pushed for a new trial.

About 20 demonstrators showed up to the courthouse in support of Gray, displaying a novelty cheque for nine trillion dollars made out to "all the J. Doe's" from the "Bank of the Patriarchy".

Ururyar's lawyer alleges the judge who oversaw his case was biased against him and intent on making a broader statement about sexual violence.

The appeal also challenges the order to pay Gray $8,000

In court documents the defence argues the trial judge "displayed a reasonable apprehension of bias in favour of the complainant," saying Justice Marvin Zuker had decided on a sentence before hearing submissions on the matter.

The Crown says the defence had no complaints about the judge's behaviour during the trial and only raised concerns about a possible bias once their client was found guilty.

In his ruling, Zuker spoke out against what he called "the myths of rape,'' specifically stereotypes that affect how those who experience sexual assault are perceived.

In court Tuesday the appellant judge called some of Zuker's comments "troubling, sarcastic, lazy."

The Mckenzie Vaughan Hospital is scheduled to be completed in late 2020 and when it opens, the west wing of the building will be named the 'De Gasperis-Muzzo Tower,' after the families behind a new $15 million charitable contribution.